Por: Fred the Head

Fred the Head — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Excellent quality, great value.
These Knipex pliers are delicate and likely to suffer damage if bending steel wires. I would use these pliers to bend copper, aluminum, and soft steel wires exclusively. When the jaws are closed and parallel there are no gaps – in a darkened room I placed the closed pliers between a light source and my eyes and observed no light between the jaws. Running, my finger nail along the surface of pliers I detected slight deviations in the surface where the handles meet and at the fulcrum. However, if I rub my finger tip over the surface the surface is smooth expect at the fulcrum. There are no scratches or blemishes on the metal surfaces. The handles are covered in bright red plastic that is uniform in color and consistency, and without cracks or flaws. The handles are similar to other Knipex tools that I own. The handles are not textured which makes them easy to clean, but more difficult to grasp if covered in grease, oil, or other fluids.The pliers are comfortable and solid in the hand yet light weight, and have no slop. The handles moved easily with one hand. However, when holding the pliers horizontally and releasing the bottom handle and the jaws did not open fully. Instead the jaws opened about 20% of maximum. I applied Liquid Wrench light machine oil to these surfaces. I did not use penetrating oil because there was no corrosion present. I worked the handles for about 10 minutes, but the jaws would not open completely when the pliers were held horizontally and the lower handle was released to gravity. Subsequently, I combined small amounts of WD-40 and 100,000 grit (0.25 micron) diamond paste in oil in a shallow empty glass container. I used a tooth pick to stir these ingredients (about 10 minutes) until a homogenous slurry was made. I added a brief spray of WD-40 to achieve a consistency that was “right” – no lumps, not too thick, not too thin. I applied the slurry to the fulcrum and rubbing surfaces using a Q-Tip and set the tool aside for about 10 minutes to allow the slurry to penetrate spaces between the surfaces. I then worked the handles for an additional 10 minutes after which the jaws would finally open completely once the lower handle was released to gravity. (I performed the same process with my Tsunoda pliers but it required 70 minutes time to achieve the same results.) I then sprayed the fulcrum and rubbing surfaces with WD-40 to flush the slurry from the tool. I wiped the tool with a rag, applied more WD-40 to the fulcrum and rubbing surfaces, worked the handles again for about 30 seconds, and cleaned the surfaces with a rag. I allowed the WD-40 to evaporate (about 15 minutes), removed any remaining surface residue with a rag, reapplied light machine oil to the metal surfaces, and set the pliers aside. After 30 minutes I wiped excess oil from the pliers and placed them in my tool box.Knipex states that their hand tools are either chromed or atramentised (phosphate coating). Atramentised coatings are either iron, zinc, or manganese phosphate finishes. I could confirm if the finish on the tool is iron, zinc, or manganese phosphate. The finish is matte black except where the steel is polished. The vast majority of the tool is polished metal and will require regular cleaning and oiling to prevent or reduce corrosion. I could have purchased a chromed version of these pliers, but chromed tools are more expensive.

Por: barneyfife

barneyfife — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Awesome little pliers
Extreme quality, work at as well as most tweezers for fine work

Comentarios en: KNIPEX Tools 3721125 – Alicates de agarre electrónico, puntas planas

Por: Fred the Head

Por: barneyfife